Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Connection to lamp or electron tube
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-19
2001-05-01
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Connection to lamp or electron tube
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224389
ABSTRACT:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a component for the electrical bonding of a meter, during which a meter having at least two contact elements can be electrically bonded by a soldered joint to a printed-circuit board having at, least two contact surfaces on one side. The invention also relates to a method of producing this component.
If meters, for example moving permanent-magnet ratiometers, which preferably have four contact elements, are to be electrically bonded to a copper-clad printed-circuit board which carries the corresponding contact surfaces only on one side, only the use of individual contact tubes for making the contact is possible if it is desired to avoid individual manual soldering work, which is very laborious on account of the presence of the meter on the same side of the printed-circuit board on which the contact surfaces are located. DE 40 39 625 A1, for example, discloses such contact tubes. Contact tubes which are designed for screwing into place by fastening screws which at the same time produce an electrical bonding are used there. However, this electrical bonding and fastening in one operation also requires special contact tubes, which require special tools in order to produce them, as well as a certain assembly effort, since as a rule the meters are fastened with four screws.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to produce a component, by means of which, on the one hand, the soldered joint between this component and the contact surfaces of the printed-circuit board and, on the other hand, the soldered joint between the component and the contact elements of the meter can in each case be executed mechanically and thus cost-effectively and quickly.
The object of the invention is also to provide method of producing such a component.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that a substrate has a number of contact bridges which correspond to the number of contact elements of the meter, wherein each contact bridge has two soldering tags, which are bent essentially at right angles to one another and of which one soldering tag can be inserted through the printed-circuit board in order to produce a soldered joint with the contact surface of the printed-circuit board, and the other soldering tag has an opening for receiving the contact element of the meter, and in that, on that side of the printed-circuit board which is remote from the contact surfaces, the substrate, while bearing against the printed-circuit board, holds the contact bridges in a fixed spatial relationship corresponding to the contact-element arrangement of the meter.
By means of such a component, it is possible first of all to attach the component to that side of the printed-circuit board which is remote from the contact surfaces, the contact tags being inserted through the printed-circuit board. In this state, it is possible to subject the printed-circuit board, thus assembled, to a mechanical soldering operation, during which the projecting ends of the soldering tags are soldered to the contact surfaces of the printed-circuit board. The meter may then be mounted on the printed-circuit board from the side which carries the contact surfaces. In the process, the contact elements pass through appropriately prepared openings in the printed-circuit board and may be inserted into the respective openings in the soldering tags of the contact bridges. In this state, on that side of the printed-circuit board which is remote from the meter, a joint can be made between the contact elements of the meter and the soldering tags of the contact bridges, again by a mechanical soldering operation. Such electrical bonding of the meter is therefore simple, since, despite the presence of contact surfaces only on that side of the printed-circuit board on which the meter is to be mounted, it permits mechanical soldering of all the contact elements in each case in one operation without special assembly or alignment work with regard to the soldering tags being necessary, since the latter are held in a fixed spatial relationship to one another by the substrate, which spatial relationship corresponds to the spatial arrangement of the contact elements on the meter. When one operation for the soldered joint is referred to here, this relates to the making of contact between the contact elements of the meter on the one hand and the contact bridges on the other hand. However, since both operations can be carried out mechanically and only require a small amount of -time, the execution of both operational sequences is also substantially more efficient than the electrical bonding by means of individual contact tubes.
In order to ensure reliable positioning of the substrate with the contact bridges on the printed-circuit board, the substrate, in a development of the invention, may have positioning pins in order to spatially orient it on the printed-circuit board.
A method of producing such a component is defined according to the invention in that the contact bridges are blanked out of an electrically conductive material, in that connecting webs connecting the soldering tags for the contact elements of the meter are blanked out with the contact bridges in the process, in that the soldering tags intended for the electrical bonding to the contact surfaces of the printed-circuit board are bent at right angles to the soldering tags of the contact elements, in that this blank, in order to form a substrate holding the contact bridges, is encapsulated by molding with an electrically insulating plastic connecting the contact bridges to one another in their bent region, and in that the connecting webs are then cut out. After the connecting webs have been cut out, the component is finished and comprises contact bridges which are disposed spatially in a predetermined relationship to one another and are insulated from one another by the plastic.
In a development of the method, the positioning pins may be injection molded along with the substrate when the latter is being produced.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2757319 (1956-07-01), Kapp
patent: 4097101 (1978-06-01), Holt et al.
patent: 4894018 (1990-01-01), Phillips et al.
patent: 4934943 (1990-06-01), Klein et al.
patent: 5096440 (1992-03-01), Katsumata
patent: 1095403 (1960-12-01), None
patent: 4039625 (1992-06-01), None
patent: 4240454 (1994-06-01), None
Abrams Neil
Duverne J. F.
Farber Martin A.
Mannesmann VDO AG
LandOfFree
Component for contacting a measuring unit and method for its... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Component for contacting a measuring unit and method for its..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Component for contacting a measuring unit and method for its... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2562514